Popular Stories

Local Real Estate

Cars For Sale

IT is just five minutes of snorting laughter, muddy puddles, pink pigs doing slapstick and irreverent humour, but it has a cult following bigger than some religions and turns over cash and ratings at a speed that will pop your eyes.

Welcome to the global phenomenon of Peppa Pig.

In the UK alone, book sales have boomed to 5.4 million, DVD sales have surpassed 7.5 million and it is the number one licensed magazine for pre-school children.

A theme park, Peppa Pig World, opened in Hampshire in 2011 and has attracted more than two million visitors to date. Among a swag of awards are three BAFTAs in 2005, 2011 and 2012. The Queen has even appeared in an episode of the show, now in its sixth season.

It is broadcast in 180 countries, seen in Australia on ABC2 twice a day, peaking at 469,000 viewers on June 20 - an astonishing number for a kids' program. Online viewing data from Webtrends showed there were 13.6 million program plays via iView and 3.8 million program plays via the ABC4Kids site in 2013.

The brand, conservatively estimated to be worth $338 million, is tipped to challenge The Wiggles for supremacy in this country following a merchandising deal struck last year by brand owner Entertainment One and Australian distributor Big Balloon.

E1 has also done market-saturating deals elsewhere in the world with Toys R Us, Fisher Price and Penguin.

Drawn in bright primary colours in a naive style reminiscent of the very sketches its target audience might scribble in crayon or chalk, the episodes always end with all the characters collapsing on the ground snort-laughing.

It is joyous, light and funny at both a pre-schooler and adult level.

Like all good success stories, this one starts humbly. It is also one certain people at the BBC would rather forget.

It has been reported online that more than 10 years ago, the trio took a show to the network but had its schedule mucked about (one episode went to air at midnight).

They severed ties, created Peppa, took it to Channel Five and made gazillions.

ABC TV acting controller of children's television Barbara Uecker admitted to an instant attraction to Peppa Pig when she first saw the show a decade ago.

"I remember meeting Peppa Pig for the first time about 10 years ago, and I immediately fell in love with her," she said.

"It is an absolute phenomenon, and she is a lovable little piglet."

Listing Peppa as one of the network's standout performers (along with Giggle & Hoot and Bananas In Pyjamas), she said it worked for many reasons.

"It's very well done, artistically it stands out.

"It is very well created, with children in mind, and there are many little ones out there who just love Peppa.

"Once in a while a character comes along that has this special magic.

"There is a certain simplicity to the stories at first glance, but on top of that is a sophisticated layer that makes it quite an enjoyable experience for caregivers and parents to watch as well.

"The comedic element is great fun and every episode ends in the same way, and children like to know what is happening.

"Kids can relate to it. Even though it's a little piglet, these are stories that resonate with them."

The ABC is currently screening seasons five and six in early evening.

"I am very confident it will be in our schedule for a long time to come," said Mrs Uecker.

"It's already something of a classic.

"We are very passionate about kids' content, and that's the secret really.

"But we are always, inside our hearts, still kids ourselves. That's why we enjoy working in children's television," she said.

At the 2011 BAFTAs: Harley Bird (the voice of Peppa Pig who also won a BAFTA that year) and left to right Mark Baker (co-creator), Phil Davies (producer) and Neville Astley (co-creator).

Q&A WITH PRODUCER PHIL DAVIES

Why did you choose pigs as the central characters for the show? We hadn't seen many other series about pigs, we also liked the idea of each animal making a sound and the snorts seemed a really fun way of entertaining young children.

What makes pigs so likable and cute as cartoon characters? Well, our characters are anthropomorphised animals so, as in the tradition of the animated characters of the past like Donald Duck, they are more based around human traits. However, sometimes we do play with the idea that they are animals. For instance, in a recent episode the wolf family move in next door to Peppa's family.

Do you ever struggle to find everyday activities that will make an interesting script and how many people write for the show? We've never had any trouble thinking up new situations as the whole series is based around everyday events. Generally, Mark (Baker) and Nev (Astley) write the final draft of every script.

What do you think are the benefits of simple 2D animation? I think the idea that "2D is old fashioned" is wrong. As with design, you can have both good and bad design. It's the same with 2D animation. We like to think the design and 2D animation of Peppa is contemporary and we hope our artwork will engage with audiences.

To what extent did licensed merchandise influence viewing figures for Peppa Pig? We were aware that if we were successful there would be merchandising, so very early on we spent some time figuring out how Peppa, George the family and her friends would look in 3D, ie if they were made into toys.